When It Comes to Home Cooking, Mom Still Knows Best

DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Cooking techniques, ingredients and utensils may change with the trends, but one thing remains the same – women still dominate the kitchen. At least that's what the National Pork Board found in a recent cooking study. Results show that women are still the primary cooks in the kitchen, but revealed that their attitudes toward cooking differ drastically from those of generations before them. In fact, just 28 percent believe their cooking skills surpass their mothers and more than half wish they were better cooks!

The study was conducted in December 2009 to understand cooking attitudes and skills of women today and surveyed more than 1,000 women nationwide about their experiences, mealtime challenges and what they look for as they prepare meals for their families.

"Through this research, we've found that women care as much about cooking as they always have but are faced with less time to spend in the kitchen, presenting an entirely different set of needs than their mothers had," said Pamela Johnson of the National Pork Board. "Based on these findings, our goal is to provide home cooks with techniques and recipes that are not only quick and easy to use, but taste great."

Pork is an ideal solution since it pairs well with anything, can be prepared often in less than 30 minutes and offers a variety of cuts, from chops to tenderloin, that are easy to prepare.

What's Hoggin' Their Time?

When asked about their greatest cooking challenge, the number one answer among respondents was time. Six out of 10 women (58 percent) said they do not spend as much time in the kitchen as their moms did. Gone are the days of slaving over a hot stove. Only one in five (21%) women spend an hour or more preparing a meal on an average day.

For The Love Of Cooking

Women may dominate today's kitchen, but it's not necessarily where they want to be. Only 31 percent would choose cooking over reading a book, going shopping (31 percent) or exercising (18 percent). When given the choice, the majority of women (83 percent) would prefer doing something different than cooking in their free time but surprisingly, one in two women (47 percent) wish they had more time to spend preparing meals than they currently do.

Shopping Lists Showcase Pork

With little time to spend developing menus outside the confines of a cookbook, women are interested in recipes that have only a few ingredients. In fact, 69 percent said that five or less ingredients would be an ideal number when selecting a recipe. So, where does pork land on today's shopping lists? Pork and specifically ham are ingredients most women (83 percent) are comfortable cooking and as far as technique goes, 37 percent are baking it.

Despite the desire for a simple formula, results show that women are hungry to learn new recipes and expand their cooking skills. More than half (55 percent) of women admitted that although they consistently cook "go-to" dishes, there is still an interest in heating things up with new recipes.

For further information about how to make quick, unique dishes using pork, please visit TheOtherWhiteMeat.com. The site, which was relaunched in fall 2009, features tasty pork recipes, time-saving meals and tips on eating lean for less.

About The National Pork Board

The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, technology, swine health, pork safety and environmental management.

All Results came from December 2009 survey, "Today's Home Cook: Attitudes, Habits and Trends" of more than 1,000 Women. The survey was conducted by KRC Research and the National Pork Board. For a complete study, please contact Heidi Noble: 312-988-2340.